大象传媒

The unrecognisable photograph

Recital of 'The Lord's Prayer' in Welsh

"I don't have any photographs before this one. It was given to me by a family friend. When I look at it, I feel sad... he's smiling. I don't know him at all.

Background music - 'Old Macdonald had a farm' on the recorder

I left school unofficially at 13, I slipped through the net - nobody noticed.

Sound - door closing

I dropped out, and found my way to Glastonbury... I don't remember much about that time at all. I remember waking up on a pavement with two girls looking down at me asking me if I knew who I was... I didn't.

Later I spent a year on the Prince's Trust Community venture. One of my placements was at a children's home. The head of the home told me that he thought I had a career in caring for children... I've been working with children ever since.

I gained a qualification in the Montesory method of teaching and has taken me from inner-city schools and the orphanages of Romania to one of the best schools in Britain. Dr. Maria Montesory believed in freedom of the child... the child taught himself and the teacher was a director.

Now, my daughter has taught herself to read using the reading books I wrote... she's also teaching my son.

When I look at this photo I don't know the boy I was but I know the man I am today."

End music - 'Pwy wnaeth y ser uwchben?'

Please tell us about yourself Alan.
I am a family man with two children and another on the way. I was brought up on a council estate in the steel town of Llanelli. It was a close knit community and people shared. There was a community spirit and children played freely on the streets. I attended local schools but was a bit of a dreamer. I always wanted to know what was over the hill. I have three brothers, all of whom remained close to home. I was the cuckoo and left the nest.

What would you say is the underlying theme of your story?
My story is about my life in general and the journey from childhood to the discovery of the real me. It is a colourful and emotional journey which lacked photo evidence until I was an adolescent. I chose to tell this story following the scripting session. Before that my story idea was totally different. It was squeezed out of me tenderly by some very nice people.

How did you find the workshop experience?
The experience was good but there were times when it became all consuming. I will use this experience for other projects. It has inspired me to document a little my family life.